Rack



Jan. 21, 1964 M. J. LEWIS 3,118,542

RACK

Filed Sept. 20, 1961 INVE TOR 7am dT LeWar United States Patent Ofiice 3,ll8,542 Patented Jan. 21, 1964 3,118.542 RACK hiorgan J. Lewis, 147 Righter St, Philadelphia 28, Pa. Filed Sept. 29, 1961, Ser. No. 139,491 3 Claims. ((Il. 21189) The present invention relates to racks of the character which are suited to hold neckties, belts, sashes, bands, ribbons and similar flexible fabric and leather articles which are kept in accessible form.

A purpose of the invention is to avoid creasing or marking neckties and the like by a rack which holds the same.

A further purpose is to prevent the possibility that neckties or the like may work their way d a rack and fall to the floor even when they are hung on a door.

A further purpose is to secure nec'kties and the like over a trough like rack which is open at the front and to intrude a locking bar into the space between the top and bottom flanges so as to divert the object being held inwardly against the bar but without clamping the object against the web of the trough.

A further purpose is to pivot the locking bar at one end and latch it at the other end of the trough.

A further purpose is to provide rearwardly protruding top and bottom portions on the locking bar so as to more effectively engage the necktie or other object.

A funther purpose is to pivot the locking bar to the trough at both ends.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claims.

In the drawings I have chosen to illustrate a few only of the numerous embodiments in which the invention may appear, selecting the forms shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory operatron and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a preferred embodiment of the device of the invention shown hanging a necktie.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2-2. of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the device of FIG- URE 1 partially broken away to show the locking bar at both ends and illustrating the motion of the locking bar by dot-and-dash lines.

FIGURE 5 is a front elevation of the device of Pi"- URES 1 to 4 showing the unlatching of the locking bar at one end.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective showing a modified embodiment of the device of the invention.

FTGURE 7 is a section on the line 77 of FIGURE 6 showing the locking bar in solid lines in the position it will assume with a tie in place on the rack and also showing the locking bar beginning to swing out to insert or remove a tie.

Considerable difl'iculty has been encountered in the past in hanging articles of clothing and the like made of fabric or leather or other flexible material, and of elongated form such as neckties, belts and similar objects as mentioned above. Where such objects are hung over a bar of a necktie or other rack, there is tendency for them to slip off and fall on the floor of a bedroom, dressing room, closet or the llkfi. This tendency is aggravated by the .fact that neckties are usually both heavier and thicker at one end, and belts are normally heavier at one end due to the presence of a buckle. This tendency -is further aggravated when the rack is hung on a door since the motion of the door tends to apply forces which overcome the frictional drag of the tie against the bar and cause it to drop.

The present invention is designed to make it possible to hang neckties and other similar objects as previously mentioned without the tendency of such objects to drop off.

It avoids the difficulty which is present in many racks that the rack clamps or pinches the tie, in which case it is likely to crease or mar the tie or even cause the tie to wear out prematurely at a certain point where it may be frequently clamped.

The device of the invention has the advantage that the tie or other object is rendered easily accessible without first pulling out or removing other ties or similar objeo The device of the invention uses a trough or channel which is open at the front so that the tie or other object hangs down in front of the top and bottom flanges. To lock or retain the object, a locking bar bends the tie or other object into the space within the trough and at the same time avoids gripping or clamping the object against the web or back of the trough or against the flanges.

The locking bar is preferably of a cross section which will provide two rearwardly directed edges, one at the top and one at the bottom to increase the frictional engagement With the tie or other object but these edges should of course not be sharp as they must not cut the object.

The locking bar is preferably pivoted at one end and latched at the other end but it may if desired be pivoted at both ends and intrude by its Weight into the space between the upper and lower flanges.

Considering now the drawings in detail, and first referring to the form of FIGURES l to 5 inclusive, I there illustrate a trough 2% which extends horizontally and is mounted at the two ends on brackets 21 which are suitably secured as by screws to a wall, door, closet, shelf or the like. The trough consists of a vertical Web 22 at the back, a horizontal forwardly extending top flange 23 terminating in a forward edge 24 and a relatively spaced horizontal lower flange 25 terminating in a forward edge 26 which is immediately beneath but spaced from the forward edge 24 of the upper flange. The trough has an open interior space 27 within the channel contour.

The necktie or other object 28 hangs over and rests on the relatively broad top flange 23 which applies frictional drag, and one half or portion hmgs down behind and against the Web 22 at the rear applying additional frictional drag, while the front portion hangs down and across the edge 24 of the top flange applying more frictional drag and then ends against the front edge 26 to the bottom flange. I

In order to make eifective the clamping of the necktie or other object, a locking bar 81 extends horizontally across and into the space within the trough to bend the front of the necktie or other object into a reverse bend 32 best seen in FIGURES l and 3, so that the top edge 33 of the locking bar and the bottom edge 34 extend horizontally and engage and tend to grip the necktie or other object.

An important aspect of the invention is however that the reverse bend portion 32 of the necktie is not clamped or otherwise held against anything at the back or above or below the locking bar since there is free space within the trough at 35' behind and above and below the locking bar in clamped position and thus no creasing or cutting or wearing of the necktie or other object is likely to occur. To make the engagement of the top and bottom edges and 34 of the locking bar more efieotive, the locking bar has a cross section where it engages the ob- 3 je'cts which is concave from the rear and convex from the front so that the middle portion 35 is forwardly bowed. This not only helps gripping the necktie but also increases the depth of section of the locking bar so that its strength will be greater, and it will tend to remain straight.

The locking bar can be secured and removed in one of a number of desirable ways. I illustrate in the form of FIGURES -1 to 5 a pivot 36 at one end on the trough which is surrounded and loosely pivoted by a loop 37 of the locking bar. At the other end a latching recess 33 is mounted on the trough behind a latching dog, and a latching projection 40 of the locking bar is adapted to extend into this recess, although it can be raised out of the recess as shown in FIGURE 5 to pivot it forward as shown by the arrows 4d of FIGURE 4.

Thus in operation of the form of FIGURES 1 to 5 the user will unlatch the locking bar and swing it outward past the dot-and-dash position of FIGURE 4 and then will insert or remove the necktie or other object. Then the locking bar will be pushed back into latching position and lowered to properly engage the latch, and it will at the same time bend the forward portions of all neckties to form the gripping loops 32.

Other means of supporting the locking bar are suitable and it is not intended to be limited to a particular form of support. In the form of FIGURES 6 and 7 the locking bar 31' is pivoted at both ends to pivot links 4-2 which pivot in lugs .3 on the bottom of the upper flange on the ends, and pivot in lugs 44 extending rearwardly on the ends of the locking bar. When engaged by the neckties or other objects the locking bar tends to maintain the position of FIGURE 7 with its top and bonom edges 33 and 34 engaging the neckties due to its weight, bending the neckties rearwardly as at the loops 3'2, but it is capable of swinging upward and forward to release or insert neckties or other objects as shown by the dot-and-dash lines.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I therefore claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a rack adapted to support flexible objects such as neckties and the like, a trough extending horizontally having a U-shaped cross section provided with a vertical- 1y disposed web at the back, top and bottom flanges extending horizontaily and terminating at the front one above another, there being an interior space between the flanges, said trough being adapted to support objects such as neckties extending from the top of the top flange, extending down behind the web, and extending down in front of the top flange, entering the space between the top and bottom flanges and extending down in front of the bottom flange, a horizontal looking bar extending across the front of the trough having an open position, in which said bar is withdrawn from the space between the top and bottom flanges and having a closed position, means for spacing the locking bar when in closed position from the vertical web of the trough whereby said bar intrudcs into the spa e between the top and bottom flanges and bends the object adapted to be supported on said trough inwardly into said space as said object extends in front of the top and bottom flanges while avoiding clamping of said objects against the web at the back, and means for locking the locking bar in locking position between the top and bottom flanges.

2. A rack of claim 1, in which said means for locking the locking bar comprises means for pivoting the locking bar at one end on a vertical pivot and latching means for the locking bar at the opposite end.

3. A rack of claim 1, in which said means for holding the locking bar comprises rneans for pivoting the locking bar at both ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,000,896 Cohen Aug. 15, 1911 1,432,589 Brazeau Oct. 17, 1922 2,129,905 Bracken Sept. 13, 1938 2,415,637 Jones Feb. 11, 1947 2,525,259 Fenzl Q01, 10, 1950 2,545,996 Graham Mar. 20, 1951 2,672,245 Conley Mar. 16, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 72,6-19 enmark June 11, 1951 

1. IN A RACK ADAPTED TO SUPPORT FLEXIBLE OBJECTS SUCH AS NECKTIES AND THE LIKE, A TROUGH EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY HAVING A U-SHAPED CROSS SECTION PROVIDED WITH A VERTICALLY DISPOSED WEB AT THE BACK, TOP AND BOTTOM FLANGES EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY AND TERMINATING AT THE FRONT ONE ABOVE ANOTHER, THERE BEING AN INTERIOR SPACE BETWEEN THE FLANGES, SAID TROUGH BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPORT OBJECTS SUCH AS NECKTIES EXTENDING FROM THE TOP OF THE TOP FLANGE, EXTENDING DOWN BEHIND THE WEB, AND EXTENDING DOWN IN FRONT OF THE TOP FLANGE, ENTERING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM FLANGES AND EXTENDING DOWN IN FRONT OF THE BOTTOM FLANGE, A HORIZONTAL LOCKING BAR EXTENDING ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE TROUGH HAVING AN OPEN POSITION, IN WHICH SAID BAR IS WITHDRAWN FROM THE SPACE BETWEEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM FLANGES AND HAVING A CLOSED POSITION, MEANS FOR SPACING THE LOCKING BAR WHEN IN CLOSED POSITION FROM THE VERTICAL WEB OF THE TROUGH WHEREBY SAID BAR INTRUDES INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM FLANGES AND BENDS THE OBJECT ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED ON SAID TROUGH INWARDLY INTO SAID SPACE AS SAID OBJECT EXTENDS IN FRONT OF THE TOP AND BOTTOM FLANGES WHILE AVOIDING CLAMPING OF SAID OBJECTS AGAINST THE WEB AT THE BACK, AND MEANS FOR LOCKING THE LOCKING BAR IN LOCKING POSITION BETWEEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM FLANGES. 